You Do What You Have To Do
by DigitalEloquence
Summary: Because it is his birthday, Ginny Weasley reaches deep inside herself to remember that first time she was in love... (A work in progress!) H/G, R&R! For Christopher!


y o u d o w h a t y o u h a v e t o d o   
by DigitalEloquence  
  
A/N - This is another H/G fic - again written for Christopher. As is always I know Ginny's eyes are supposedly brown but in my stories they are always, always blue - the little girl who played her in CoS had blue eyes so I s'pose that's okay.   
Further author notes at the bottom.   
  
disclaimer: all characters are the property of JK Rowling, the idea is mine...  
Prolouge  
  
I remember the first time I ever heard the name Harry Potter - I was but a girl suffering from a bout of insomnia, begging my mother for bedtime stories. She had already gone through every fairytale in the book and any other child would probably have been exceptionally pleased to have their mother try so hard to help them to sleep - but I'm not any other child. I wanted another story, a new story - one I hadn't heard before. So, my mother took a deep breath and this is, if I recall correctly, the story she told me:  
  
Once upon a time, there was a baby named Harry Potter and a terrible monster named...Voldermort. (Of course, when speaking this name my mother's voice fell to a low, chilling whisper.) Voldermort wanted to...capture Harry Potter's parents because they were...very important people. And so - one cold, dark Halloween night...he did. Harry Potter's Mum and Dad fought back bravely but they could not stop...Voldermort and it was almost certain that Harry Potter would die. But by some magical miracle - Harry Potter, just a little baby, managed to turn the terrible monster's own spell against him. Voldermort was never seen again. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, grew up to be a noble and honorable knight and, one day, he saved a princess (named Ginny Weasley) from a horrible evil much like that first monster, Voldermort, by breaking a terrible spell that the monster had put on the Princess. When the spell had been broken, the Princess Ginny saw Harry Potter and, with her tears, healed him and gave him all her love. And, of course, they lived happily ever after...   
  
Almost like prophecy, isn't it Harry? Well, all except the 'happily ever after' part.  
  
Now this story happened to be just the gem I had been looking for and it quickly became my favorite bedtime story of all time. It was retold, in many variations, over and over again until I was a ten year old girl, just a year away from Hogwarts. In fact, Harry, it was the very bedtime story I was given on the eve of the day I met you. Ron, who happend to be my favorite brother, was finally eleven and was finally heading off to Hogwarts and I was to go see him off with Mum. Of course, I was sad this day had come - it meant that I'd be home alone for an entire year without Ron to entertain me and to make forts in the living room with me out of bed sheets and to take me down to the orchard to climb trees. Of course, I wasn't given the chance to say 'goodbye' to Ron properly because as soon as I was awake the next morning Mum was already packing corn beef sandwichs and preparing for the boys to leave. By the time we made it to Kings Cross, I was just another unforunate spot in the background being pulled along on my mother's hand.  
  
Mum was so distracted by the loss of another child from the Burrow that she'd forgotten the Platform number. "Now, what's the platform number?"   
  
"Nine and three quarters! Mum, can't I go?"  
  
"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet." And, as always, I was silenced. "All right, Percy, you go first."   
  
I watched first Percy and then Fred and George make their way through the barrier and then, well then...  
  
"Excuse me," someone said just then. Of course, my mother whipped around, carrying me along with her, and there you were, Harry - absolutely the most stunning thing I'd ever seen. Of course, I didn't know who you were...at least not at that moment.  
  
"Hello, dear," Mum said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too."   
  
And then she pointed you toward Ron and from that instant on you two were best friends, forever. Lucky for me, I guess.   
  
I watched you preparing yourself to run at the barrier. What surprised me most about you was your eyes - they were green. Green eyes are very rare (especially ones so emerald deep as yours), at least in the Wizarding world and the one thing that kept swirling through my mind was that, 'The Knight in the story had green eyes like that.' Already, I was searching for the scar that would set you apart and, as far as I was concerned, make you mine.   
  
As you dissappeared (with Ron following close after you), I gave a little sigh - just as Mum began to pull me forward and toward the barrier. We went across together - Mum and I did a lot of things together back then - and my mind flew from you to the sight of the magnificent scarlet train in front of me. The boys were gathering around Mum and she was giving each of them the final send-off.  
  
"Ron, you've got something on your nose."  
  
Ron made an embarassed attempt to move away from Mum but she caught him, rubbing his nose with her handkerchief absently.   
  
"Mum! Geroff!!"   
  
"Where's Percy?" Mum asked, looking around worriedly. I rolled my eyes and glanced furiously around for you, yet again. Like magic, Percy appeared and Fred and Geroge launched into this embarassing speech about him being a prefect, while Mum looked at her prefect son proudly.   
  
Momentarily, Percy looked my way - "Bye, Gin." And then Mum gave Percy a kiss on the cheek and he was gone.  
  
"Hey, Mum, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train? You know that black haired kid who was near us at the station? Know who he is?"  
  
Mum didn't look interested, "Who?"  
  
"Harry Potter!"   
  
I couldn't even control myself - I gave a little gasp immediatly. That had been you, after all! "Oh, Mum! Can I go on the train and see him, Mum, oh please..." I wanted the image of you burned into my brain, so that I could remember you until I got to go to Hogwarts myself. At that point, I thought I'd simply die if Mum didn't let me back on the train.   
  
"You've already seen him, Ginny." That was true. I had seen you, which was more than I ever expected to happen. "Is he really, Fred? How do you know?"  
  
"Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there - like lightning."  
  
Mum went off on this speech about how Fred and George weren't to ask him any personal questions about the scar or about what Voldermort looked like and all that. But honestly - did she really expect the boys not to ask? It was what I wanted to know, too.   
  
And then the whistle blew and Mum was ordering everyone to get on the train and, when the boys leaned out the window for final kisses from Mum, I began to blubber like an idiot. I'm not really sure if it was about not being able to see you again or if it was about the boys leaving me all alone but suddenly, I was miserable.   
  
"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."   
  
"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."  
  
"George!"   
  
"Only joking, Mum!"   
  
And then the train began to move - Mum was waving when I pulled myself away from her hand. Half-laughing, half-crying; I chased that train until I couldn't keep up anymore and then fell to the tracks in a heap of lavender robes, red hair, and tears.   
  
People were clearing out of the platform and heading home when Mum pulled me up by one arm, "Honestly Gin, you're impossible sometimes."   
  
I sniffled, barely hearing her - concentrating instead on the direction the train had gone in. She took my hand and led me home.   
To Be Continued...  
  
A/N - This is a work in progress and the next few parts will be posted soon - as fast as I can write them. Happy Birthday to you, Christopher. May you find the symbolism in this story and hold it close to your heart. ^^ 


End file.
